Resignations of Mayor, Deputy Mayor accepted election to elect new heads on October 21
The ongoing tussle over the resignation of Mayor Chandra Mohan Gupta for the last 19 days ended with the amendment in the Municipal Act 2000 by the Housing and Urban Development Department on Wednesday.
After the amendment the resignations of the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor were accepted. After receiving the order from Housing and Urban Development Department in the corporation office Mayor left his chair.
Meanwhile, after the resignations of mayor and deputy mayor were accepted, a notification for the holding the elections for the post of Mayor and deputy mayor Jammu Municipal Corporation(JMC) on October 21 was issued during the day.
On Wednesday, Dhiraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, issued a notification and amended section 39 of the Municipal Act 2000. It was made clear that whenever the Mayor and Deputy Mayor had to resign, they would hand it over to the Corporation Commissioner and they would have the right to accept the resignation. With the notification of this amendment, the Corporation Commissioner accepted both the resignations.
As per notification issued by secretary Municipal Corporation for information of councilors the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor shall be held on October 21 at 11 AM in terms of Section 36 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation Act (Amended vide Order No 5.0. 3808(E) dated: 26-10-2020 by Ministry of Home Affairs (GOO and Regulation 6 & 8 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Corporation (Procedure and Conduct of Business) Regulations, 2005 by means of “open ballot” (as amended).
The NOMINATION PAPER (Form-I) is available in the office of Secretary, Jammu Municipal Corporation. The nomination in Form -I duly filled and signed shall be delivered in the office of Secretary, Jammu Municipal Corporation by or before October 17 from 10 AM to 4 PM
Mayor Chandra Mohan Gupta and Deputy Mayor Advocate Purnima Sharma submitted their resignations to the Corporation Commissioner on September 24. Then the commissioner kept the resignations but did not accepted them when there was no option regarding accepting both the resignations in the Municipal Act.
Commissioner wrote to the Housing and City Development Department in this regard. Taking cognizance of which the department amended the Act using the provision to remove any difficulties under Section 427 of the Municipal Act.
At present, there are 73 corporators after the death of two corporators. Of these, 44 are from BJP, 14 are independent and 13 are corporators of Congress.
When the elections were won in the year 2018, the BJP had taken 43 seats. Congress had won 14 and 18 seats were won by independent candidates. Of these, independent corporators Raj Kumar Trakhan, Sucha Singh and Ashok Singh have joined the BJP.
